What you should know
- Apple has made changes to its plans to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), including dropping the requirement for developers to have a letter of credit to start alternative app marketplaces.
- The changes aim to limit the power of big tech companies, promote competition, and give users more options by allowing developers to offer their apps to EU users outside the App Store.
- Apple has simplified the process for developers to agree to new terms by removing the corporate entity requirement for signing the addendum, making it easier for more developers to participate.
- Developers now have the flexibility to leave the new agreement once and return to Apple’s standard terms for EU apps, with eligibility to run an alternative marketplace based on having an account for two years and over 1 million first-year installs in the EU.
Full Story
Oh, Apple. Always marching to the beat of their own drum, right? They’ve gone and stirred the pot again, but this time, they’re backpedaling a bit. After some hefty side-eye from app developers over their, let’s say, “ambitious” initial demands, they’re making a U-turn. No more needing a letter of credit to kickstart alternative app marketplaces. Yep, you heard that right.
It’s all part of their dance to align with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by the buzzer-beating deadline of March 7. The DMA? Oh, it’s just the EU’s latest move to clip the wings of the tech giants, stir up some competition, and throw more choices at us, the users.
Back in January, Apple was all, “Hey, let’s let developers offer their apps to EU folks outside our App Store.” But oh, there was a catch. New fees. New conditions. Classic Apple, am I right? But now, they’re saying, “Okay, okay, you don’t need your entire corporate family to sign off on this.” A bit of a relief, I suppose.
On their website, Apple’s like, “We’ve ditched the corporate entity requirement.” Basically, they’re making it a tad easier for developers to jump on these new terms without jumping through hoops. Now, a single entity can make the call to sign up at the developer account level. Handy, right?
And get this, developers can now dip their toes in, back out, and then decide to come back to Apple’s standard EU app terms if they want. Plus, they’ve axed that pesky letter of credit thing for those wanting to start a new app marketplace. But, there’s a catch. There’s always a catch.
To run this alternative marketplace, you’ve gotta have been in the game for at least two years. And not just that, you need a pretty solid app business in the EU, boasting over 1 million first-year installs. So, yeah, not for the faint-hearted or the newcomers.
In a nutshell, Apple’s doing a bit of a shuffle to stay in tune with the EU’s big plans. A little less demanding, a bit more accommodating. But, as always, with a few hoops to jump through. Because, well, it’s Apple. And that’s just how they roll.
